Industrial Magic

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Supernatural, Mystery
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 512
Source: Own
Series: #4 in the Women of the Underworld series
Publisher: Vintage Canada
First Published: January 2010
First Line: "Got another CSI question for you," Gloria said as Simon walked into the communication hub with an armload of papers."

Book Description from GoodReads: Meet the smart, sexy — supernatural — women of the otherworld. This is not your mother’s coven...

Kelley Armstrong returns with the eagerly awaited follow-up to Dime Store Magic. Paige Winterbourne, a headstrong young woman haunted by a dark legacy, is now put to the ultimate test as she fights to save innocents from the most insidious evil of all.. . .

In the aftermath of her mother’s murder, Paige broke with the elite, ultraconservative American Coven of Witches. Now her goal is to start a new Coven for a new generation. But while Paige pitches her vision to uptight thirty-something witches in business suits, a more urgent matter commands her attention.

Someone is murdering the teenage offspring of the underworld’s most influential Cabals — a circle of families that makes the mob look like amateurs. And none is more powerful than the Cortez Cabal, a faction Paige is intimately acquainted with. Lucas Cortez, the rebel son and unwilling heir, is none other than her boyfriend. But love isn’t blind, and Paige has her eyes wide open as she is drawn into a hunt for an unnatural-born killer. Pitted against shamans, demons, and goons, it’s a battle chilling enough to make a wild young woman grow up in a hurry. If she gets the chance.

My Review:  Many of my blog readers who have been with me for a long time will know that I adore Canadian author Kelley Armstrong's hugely popular 'Women of the Underworld' series.  No one writes strong female supernaturals better than Ms Armstrong.  Add to that some great suspense, some romance (the non-cheesy variety) and a cast of truly interesting and unique individuals and you've got a recipe for success.

There are not many books that I am eager to re-read or that I will buy for my home library after already reading them but this series is one of them.  In fact, this was my third time reading this book and I think I actually enjoyed reading Industrial Magic more this time around.  The second time I read it I was still yearning for more Clay and Elena (the werewolf couple) whom I adored from the first two books. This time I let the wolves go a bit and focused on Paige and Lucas and I enjoyed getting their take on things.  

Like in her previous books, Armstrong's cast of characters make appearances in other books and I love how seamlessly this is done.  Once again Armstrong pulls her readers into her unique world of supernaturals living among us but this time focusing on witches and the evil Cabals (think magical mafia). There's a solid mystery surrounding the murders of Cabal youth at the centre of this book but the reader also gets a deeper look into Lucas' extended family and all the baggage that entails.

Overall, this is a great addition to the Women of the Underworld series. I recently purchased my own copy of Haunted (the fifth book in the series) and can't wait to pick it up soon to remind myself of Eve Levine's role in this unique supernatural world.

If you haven't picked up this series yet I HIGHLY recommend you do.  Start with Bitten and read them in order.  A TV series is currently available on the Space channel and is loosely based on Bitten.  I love that it's being filmed in Toronto and Cambridge, Ontario!  The TV series is great but the book, of course, is better.

My Review: 4/5 stars